HomeMy WebLinkAbout940555.tiff WEST GREELEY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT
4302 West 9th Street Road
Greeley_,33Colorado
olo 65o 80634
February 28, 1994
Weld County Commissioners
915 10th St.
Greeley, CO 80631
I am enclosing a copy of the plowout resolution adopted by the
WGSCD Board of Supervisors at the February 7th meeting. The
board felt the need to have a set of guidelines to use when
reviewing plowout applications from the county. If you have
questions or comments please contact me.
Sincerely,
n
Michael G. Shay
District Manager
6010,1\oi4 erL 2 7:5'9 940555
-RESOLUTION-
RE: WELD COUNTY PLOWOUT ORDINANCE 108-A
A RESOLUTION by the BOARD OF SUPERVISORS of the WEST GREELEY SOIL
CONSERVATION DISTRICT (hereinafter referred to as the "District")
TO SET GUIDELINES FOR THE PLOWOUT PERMITTING PROCESS.
WHEREAS, the District feels the need to implement guidelines for
use in the issuance of recommendations for plowout permits to be
submitted to the Weld County Commissioners in regard to Weld
County Ordinance 108A,
WHEREAS, the District feels that the current plowout permitting
process does not correctly address the issue of proper land use
in regard to the erodibility and production capabilities of
certain soils,
WHEREAS, the District recognizes that soils prone to erosion and
poor crop production share many of the same physical and chemical
properties and may be identified by using information available
in the soil survey, Weld County, Colorado,
WHEREAS, the District wishes to establish uniform guidelines that
will provide defensible positions based upon facts for
determining the action to be taken on plowout applications,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, in consideration of the foregoing, the
West Greeley Soil Conservation District will use the following
guidelines in the determination of the feasibility of plowout
applications:
The District will not approve a conservation plan for non
irrigated tracts composed of more than 33 . 3%, or more than 50
acres total, of soils with less than 5. 0 inches of available
water holding capacity in the first 4 feet of the soil profile.
Non irrigated tracts composed of more than 33 . 3%, or more than 50
acres total, of soils with excessive salinity, measured as
greater than 2 Mmhos/cm, shall have a composite soil test to
determine the sodium absorption ratio. The District will not
approve a conservation plan for soils with a sodium absorption
ratio greater than 4 : 1 within the upper 30 inches of the soil
profile.
-PLOWOUT RESOLUTION-
page 2
The District will approve a conservation plan on a plowout permit
application for land designated to be irrigated if the tract
meets Resource Management System requirements and erosion will
not exceed the designated tolerance limit.
The Available Water Capacity and the Salinity figures are to be
obtained from the Physical and Chemical Property tables located
on pages 129-131 of the soil survey of Weld County, Colorado,
Southern Part, and pages 136-140 of the soil survey of Weld
County, Colorado, Northern Part. The Sodium Absorption Ratio
shall be determined by a soil test performed by an independent
laboratory at the expense of the petitioner.
ADOPTED, this 7th day of February, A.D. , 1994 .
Dean Severin
President
Stanley D. Cass
Secretary/Treasurer
WEST GREELEY SOIL CONSERVATION DISTRICT
4302 West 9th Street Road
Greeley, Colorado 80634
(303) 356-6506
February 28 , 1994
TO: ALL CITIZENS OF WELD COUNTY
FROM: MICHAEL SHAY, DISTRICT MANAGER
RE: EXPLANATION OF TERMS FOR PLOWOUT RESOLUTION
Available Water Holding Capacity
Soils vary in their ability to absorb and hold water. A soil
that is unable to store enough water within its profile to grow a
viable crop may also have an erosion problem. Excessive soil
erosion increases the chance of a crop failure and reduces the
soil productivity. In some instances the land is abandoned and
all topsoil is lost.
It must be understood that all precipitation does not soak into
the soil and become available for plant use. Roughly 1/4 of all
rain and snow runs off or evaporates before it can be absorbed by
the soil. Greeley receives 11.92" of annual rainfall, yet only
about 8" is effective moisture. The soil profile must have
adequate water holding capacity in the root zone to store the
fallow year moisture to successfully grow a crop.
A good rult is that ure o grow 1st busheleofo it
wheat follow It takes 1" for s each ofmthetnextt the
8 bushels
grown. A chart for our area is as follows:
Inches Precip. Bushels
8 1
9 9
10 17
11 25
12 33
The soil's ability to store water is expressed as available water
holding capacity.
Continued on back:
Available Water Holding Capacity: The capacity of the soil to
hold water that is available for use by plants. It is commonly
defined as the difference between the amount of soil water at
field moisture capacity (saturation) and the amount of water at
the wilting point. It is commonly expressed as inches of water
per inch of soil. The capacity, in inches, in a 60 inch profile
or to a limiting layer is expressed as-
Inches
Low 0 to 3 . 5
Moderate 3 5 to7. 5
High More than 7 . 5
WGSCD chose to measure available water holding capacity at 4 feet
since this depth would include the root zone of all of the major
crops planted on dryland in this area.
Salinity
Only a small amount of non-irrigated land in Weld County has a
problem with salinity, but the problem must be addressed in the
resolution. Soil salinity is measured by electrical current flow
through the soil from one electrode to another. The higher the
conductivity, the higher the soil salinity. High soil salinity
reduces water availability for plants. The sodium absorption
ratio is a chemical indicator of alkaline soils not suitable for
producing field crops in this area.
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